~ Counting ~

 Good Morning Friends & Folk ~

a very happy Sunday to you all...

the weather here is perfect today ~ perfect for a day of quiet stitching~

cooler temps, overcast skies and blustery winds make for a comfy day to be filled with tiny little X's.

although I love to stitch in any kind of weather, Autumn days like this are my very favorite.

I posted a few photos on FB and Instagram lately, 

that show me using counting pins while I stitch...

this is by no-means anything new, in fact stitchers have been doing it for centuries ~

but I don't always show how I do things, taking for granted that some of you would either already know or not be so interested.

but, 

for those who have inquired about using counting pins,

here goes:

Now, you can purchase them or even make your own counting pins 

by simply gluing beads onto the head-end of your pins ~

... like these that were sweetly gifted to me 

~ and that I keep in my sewing box:

... aren't they beautiful? 

like tiny precious gems :)

But, 

you can use plain pins too ~ 

or in this case some antique 'toilet' pins.

no, they weren't necessarily used in the bathroom, 

~ but a lady's dressing room wasn't complete without them...

she would use them to fasten a blouse or hem, and use them in her sewing as well....

I love how mine look on my stitching in progress, 

~ and imagining how these were used by nimble hands before me.

 

 

So, 

how do you use them when doing counted cross stitch?

Simple.

I use them to hold my count when I'm stitching a border, 

as I place a pin every 10-20 stitches or so... then remove them when no longer needed.

I also use them as a reminder where color changes need to be made with my thread,

as in the acorn at the bottom in the photo below:

and since I usually have two {or more} projects going at one time,

I can leave the pins in to remind me where I left off.

Just make sure your pins are clean and aren't rusty ~ 

and never ever leave them or your work in your hoop for an extended period of time.

 

Or, 

I'll tuck one in if I think there is the chance {and there is always that chance}

that I have miscounted and need to track where that might be
{like in the basket worked below...me thinks I split a stitch}

you can see that I'm using a different type of antique toilet pin

while working on this sampler ~  these being white glass and a larger size at that.

 

So now you know ~

counting pins help keep that stitching 'FROG' away!

{ Oh, ..."frogging" refers to ripping out those miscounted stitches, as-in rippit! rippit!....get it? }

 

 Iggy likes the fact that by me using counting pins,

I'm less likely to yell, cuss or throw things.

... therefore making stitching much more enjoyable for us both ~

This blog post has been officially Iggy Approved.

 

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori